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Game Design Jobs: 4 Online Programs for Game Design Jobs

If you’re an avid computer user, most probably you have already thought about how cool a career in game development could be. Flexible hours, great amenities, lots of creativity, unlimited popcorn and just plain having fun are just some perks that we’d expect to see in a game design company. It’s also a booming industry, for games nowadays are not just for leisure, some are now made for training and educational purposes. An online program in game development may be one of the best online degrees for recession-friendly careers in the future.

Now before you enroll in one of those video game schools, it would be best for you to know about the different majors that you could take in game development. Yes, there are still many sub-disciplines under game development and it would be helpful if you could make the most out of your online education by knowing more. Here are 5 game development majors that have existing online programs:

Game Design Job #1: Game Programming

Some say that it’s not necessarily the visuals that makes a great game, it’s the programming that counts. Whether it’s a simple puzzle-solving offering or a massive-multiplayer online RPG, its backbone is made up of the 1’s and 0’s that the programmers have enlisted to make it run. Master how to tinker with assembly language and high-level programming languages, learn basic and advanced computer heuristics, linear algebra, matrix calculations, and a whole lot more with a major in game programming. It’s all about coding a game to make it run inside a machine, and if you’re interested in this kind of work then a game programming major might be a good choice.

Game Design Job #2: Game Art

Though an action game might work with only a few graphical elements, its marketability might be a function of how great the computer graphics are made to be. Game artists work hand-in-hand with game programmers to provide the aesthetic and functional requirements of a game. They also create the game animation, making a major in Game Art one of the reasons to get an animation degree online. Students who major in game art are required to take courses in 3D Modelling, sprite modeling and art, photo-editing, video editing, and game animation among others. In a nutshell, those who are more design-minded might be more at home with an online major in Game Art.

Game Design Job #3: Game Development

A game is first a concept from a developer’s mind, and those who are skilled in creating the rules and storylines of games are schooled in game development. Different from a programmer and from a game artist, those who major in game development are trained more in developing the game environments, rules, goals, and scenarios in which the future players would be engaging in. In this case, the game development majors are also the beta testers, prodding the nooks and crannies of a game for any inconsistency and fault. If you’re the type who likes playing games and knowing their secrets, then a game development major might be more to your liking.

Game Design Job #4: Game Production

Game production is a game design major that focuses more on the funding, distribution, and marketing of games. Simply said, it’s a business-oriented major that’s more like business administration than game design. In this case, it’s relevant game development major because it focuses on how games should be best distributed – the success of any game banks on that. Customer service issues are also dealt with by those who major in game production, which essentially is just a way to create customer loyalty in the developed game. If you’re more interested to be a gametrepreneur, then an online program in Game Production would be the way to go.